For The Love Of Art
by Chris Devlin
Summary: A whole load of friends attend a Pokémon Art festival.
1. Cars, Rocks & Blowpipes

For The Love Of Art

By Chris Devlin

AN: Hey all. Yes I'm back and I've brought a semi-new fic with me. I say semi-new because I started this back in April 2002 and I saw no reason to let it all go to waste. Some of the characters are based on people I knew well back then, but whom I have since began to talk to less and less (Which is my own fault and loss) and so might not seem as true to the actual person as they otherwise would be. Also, since I thought it was getting a bit big I decided to make this a multi-parter. Hopefully part 2 won't be too far away. Anyway, hope everyone enjoys it and try and remember that I haven't watched Pokémon in a VERY long time, so my knowledge is a bit rustier than it once was. Oh, and please review :-). 

Part 1 - Cars, Rocks & Blowpipes

"Are we there yet?" Chris moaned for the seventeenth time in an hour, as the small convoy of cars headed towards Goldenrod, causing the other four occupants to sigh loudly. Trish glared at him from the drivers seat.

"Will you quit asking that? You'll know when we're there because we'll stop, get out and then strap you to the roof for the rest of the day. Or at least we will if you don't stop complaining." she threatened, getting confirming nods from Erin, Mia and Karlie. Chris glanced round and saw that Mia had opened up her backpack, withdrawing a large length of rope from it. Quickly turning back he nervously turned on the radio and twiddled the controls until he caught the local station, nicotine cravings getting on his nerves.

"fzz.tt..crk...requiring doctors to use industrial lubricant to extract the Pineco from the Trainer." it fizzed as the signal stabilized. "In other news, the annual Goldenrod Pokémon Arts Festival starts today. Set to run over the next week, for its 100th consecutive year, this years festival will indeed be one to remember." Erin suddenly sat forward in her seat, excitement in her eyes.

"Hey!!! We have to go to that!" she squealed excitedly. The others looked at her with bemused looks. "What? Surely you've heard about it?" she asked. She got a reply of blank faces. Shaking her head she began to explain. "It's meant to be really great. It's lots of tents and stages where Trainers use their Pokémon to make and show art." Beside her Karlie began to nod eagerly. 

"Yeah!! I remember now. They give out prizes and stuff to the best exhibits, and there's lots of other stuff like a Battle Arena, a Cinema and show's too. Erin's right. We have to go." she said.

"Well. It does sound fun." Mia said. Chris and Trish looked at each other, coming to a silent decision.

"Ok. Lets go. I mean we are on holiday." Chris said. "I'll text the others." he said, pulling his Pokégear Mk2 from his pocket and began to push the buttons.

Half an hour later they pulled into the Car Park of the Goldenrod City Park. Chris immediately jumped out, pulled out his cigarette packet and lighter and prepared to have his first one in six hours. Before he could Erin walked past, grabbed the last of his white nicotine sticks and stood on it. 

"No!" she said firmly. Chris gave her a look so cold it could have frozen the sun before storming towards the Festival, sulking. Erin turned to the others. "I hate it when he does that." she said walking over to them. Trish glanced at him as he wandered off alone.

"Should someone go with him?" she asked. Mia looked at her casually. 

"No. He'll be fine. Let him blow off steam, we'll catch him later." she said. "Besides, here come the others" she added, noticing the other car pull into a space a few rows away from theirs. The doors opened, allowing the five occupants out. Jenn trudged quickly over to the other girls, followed by Gary, Danny, Ash and Misty.

"God... that was an ordeal and a half." she sighed as she reached the others. "Remind me to drive the other car on the way back." she added. The other girls looked at each other.

"What d'you mean?" Karlie asked as she pulled her backpack from the car. 

"Well... Danny slept the ENTIRE way, Misty and Ash wouldn't stop making out and Gary wouldn't stop complaining about Ash and Misty making out." she said, her exasperation evident in her voice. The others suppressed giggles.

"Makes us kinda glad all we had was Chris, whining about being stuck in a car for six hours." Erin piped in. The others nodded in agreement, as Gary, Danny, Ash and Misty finally reached the others.

"Hey. Where is the Scottish skirt wearer anyway?" Gary asked. "I was looking forward to talking to someone that wasn't about to fall asleep, make out, or crash into a tree." he added. Jenn and the occupants of the second car glared at him. "Well it's true." he said in reply. Trish looked up at him.

"He stormed off ahead. Erin destroyed his last cigarette." she answered him. Gary looked at Erin who was grinning like a proud parent.

"Figures." Gary replied, jogging off after Chris. Everyone nodded in agreement. Erin nodded too, but stopped after a second.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"

The festival was huge, taking up most of the park. Erin grabbed a handful of maps and handed them out to everyone.

"Alright. We meet back here in four hours okay." she said. The others mumbled in agreement and wandered off in separate directions. "And tell Gary and Chris if you see them." she shouted after them. She was answered by mumbles of "Sure." and "Sounds like a damn school trip." from Danny who promptly got a slap around the head from Jenn.

"So where to first?" Mia asked. Erin turned round. Only herself, Mia, Trish and Karlie remained together.

"Lets head to the main area. We can figure it out from there." Karlie suggested.

Chris wandered down one of the paths on the eastern side of the park, walking towards what the map he'd picked up said was the commercial area of the Festival.

"Might get some cigarettes there." he muttered to himself as he walked. As he walked he spotted a few stones at the side of the path, a prime target for the frustration he felt from lack of nicotine. Walking up to them he kicked one violently, sending it flying down the path, where it bounced off a few tree's and disappeared round a bend in the path.

"Ooooowww!!!!" came the cry, and a few seconds later an irate Officer Jenny appeared round the corner. Chris gulped and looked around to see if anyone else could take the blame. Realizing he was alone he resigned himself to his fate and offered his wrists to the Police Officer, who promptly cuffed him before dragging him back to the Police Tent.

Gary entered the main section of the Festival. It was the central clearing of the park and it was busy. Hordes of people swarmed around the area, each one trying to get to their next destination. Surrounding the clearing was tent after tent of exhibits, refreshment stands and shows. He wandered about for a few minutes, stopping occasionally to take in some of the art on show. One of the so called "modern pieces" was merely a Squirtle standing still and shooting a Water Gun attack in the air like a small fountain. Gary shook his head in disbelief and continued to walk round. Eventually he came to a sign pointing him in the direction of the Battle arena. Smiling he headed towards it.

Mia, Trish, Karlie and Erin wandered into the main area, the sun beating down on their faces. 

"Wow! Look at all the exhibits!" Erin exclaimed as she saw the full extent of the tents laid out before her. "Look, there's a Modern Art section. Oh and a Classical art section!" she added darting off towards the Classical tent. The remaining three set off after her when something caught Karlie's eye. Grinning she snuck off, unnoticed by Mia and Trish. The two remaining women made their way over to where Erin was gushing over a painting that had been done by a Trainer and her Bulbasaur. As they approached she noticed them and turned to face them. "This is so cool. Just look at some of the paintings. Have you ever seen.... " she started but stopped when she noticed Karlie was missing. "Where'd Kaz go?" she asked. Mia and Trish looked around, surprised to find the young woman missing. Eventually Mia shrugged her shoulders. 

"No idea." she said. "I'm sure she'll turn up though." she added. Erin thought about this for a sec before dismissing it. 

"Yeah, you're right. She'll turn...." she began, but was again cut off. This time by the tanoy, it squawked and squealed before settling down into a recognizable human voice. 

"This is a Public Announcement. Could Trish Quan please come to the Police Tent immediately." came the unmistakable voice of Officer Jenny. "Could Trish Quan please come to the Police Tent immediately. Thank You." it repeated before dying. The girls all looked at one another in confusion before one thought hit them all. 

"Chris." 

Chris shifted uncomfortably in his chair, waiting for someone to come and question him, as he sipped from the glass of water in front of him. After a few minutes the tent partition opened and in walked the Officer Jenny who'd arrested him. Sitting down she glared at him silently causing the young man to sweat-drop in embarrassment. 

"So d'you want to explain why you assaulted me with a rock?" she asked plainly as she leant back, her arms crossed. Chris sweat-dropped more. 

"Well you see... The funny thing is... I didn't mean to hit you." he started. Jenny eyed him suspiciously, not yet convinced. Noticing this he continued. "I was just angry. My friend Erin had taken my last cigarette from me, after a six hour car drive which I couldn't smoke during, and destroyed it. I was frustrated so... I kicked the rock. I honestly didn't mean to hit you." he explained. A look of compassion came over Jenny's face and she broke into a smile. 

"I know how that feels. Here." she said, reaching into her pocket and bringing out a pack of cigarettes. "I'm about the only Officer Jenny that smokes, you can have one." she offered, smiling at him. Chris cautiously reached over, half expecting her to start trying to beat a real confession from him. He had a vision of her pounding his head off the flimsy table before stamping on him in her heels. Chris winced at the thought but took the cigarette, placing it on the table in front of him, his nicotine addiction temporarily forgotten. Glancing up he realised that the Jenny in front of him was really quite attractive. 

"Thanks." he replied. "If Erin could see this she'd kill me." he joked. "She's one of those anti-smokers that's so against it she's practically militant." This got a laugh from Jenny. 

"She can't be that bad." Jenny replied. Chris seemed to think about this for a minute. 

"Well... No I guess not. I suppose it's only because she cares." he said, reaching into his pocket for a lighter. Jenny nodded at this, her face now wearing a broad smile and an almost imperceptible blush. Chris lifted the cigarette to his lips and lit it, inhaling deeply.

"Damn right it's because I care!" came a semi-angry voice from the tent partition. Chris spluttered, the cigarette falling from his lips and into the glass of water, fizzing as it splashed and went out. The two looked round to see Erin standing there, Trish and Mia behind her. Chris was still coughing when Erin advanced on him and pinched him by the ear. "Now I thought you'd have gotten the message earlier." she growled as she eyed the now soggy cigarette at the bottom of the glass. Turning her gaze back to him she frowned. "So what have you done? Why have we been pulled away from the festival?" she questioned. Chris squirmed as her grip on his earlobe tightened. Jenny stood up, a rather angry look on her face.

"It was all a misunderstanding. We put out the announcement before I could talk to him, otherwise you'd still be out there." she explained. "So I guess I'm sorry about that, but I'll have to ask you to not do that to him." she added, indicating Chris's ear with Erin's thumb and forefinger clamped to it. The girls looked at Jenny suspiciously. There was something in her voice that sounded oddly over-protective of the young man, as if she was personally annoyed at what Erin was doing. Erin glanced at Chris, who was mere seconds away from tears such was the power of her grip, and released him. He sighed as she released him and began rubbing at his ear, all the while staring sadly at the floating ex-cigarette.

"Well if that's all I suggest we get back to the festival before we miss too much." Trish suggested as she began moving towards the entrance to the tent. Erin and Mia nodded in agreement and left before Trish. "We'll be waiting for you outside Chris." Trish said as she went after the younger girls. Chris nodded and gave her a half smile as he tried to get some of the feeling back in his ear. Officer Jenny walked over to him and took a look at his red and swollen ear.

"It'll be alright in an hour or so." she said and smiled at him again, resting her hand on his shoulder. Chris smiled back at her. She really was the most attractive Officer Jenny he'd ever seen. Admittedly they were all pretty much identical but this one seemed slightly different to him. He tried not to dwell on it for too long as he could hear the others shuffling about outside, waiting for him. As he went to stand up Jenny crouched down so that she was lower down than him and he sat back in his seat. She looked up at him, staring into his eyes with his own. "Listen, I uh.... We're not technically meant to do this but... I get off duty in about an hour or so. If you're still around do you want to... I dunno..." she stalled and glanced nervously around, her eyes catching the glass of water with the cigarette floating in it. "You know, meet and go for a coffee and a cigarette?" she finished, a playful smile on her lips. Chris smiled down at her, totally surprised by this but not knowing what else to do.

"Uh, yeah, sure. That sounds great." he replied shakily. "Meet you here in an hour?" he suggested. Jenny's smile got bigger and as she stood up she gave him a peck on the cheek before whispering into his good ear.

"In an hour."

Kaz looked out over the main area, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the throng of people. She was drawing odd looks from several passers by, but what else could she expect when she was eight feet up a tree with some binoculars. Glaring through the lenses she caught a view of him, confirming what she'd thought from her glimpse earlier. It was her ex-boyfriend Tracey. She sighed slightly, her head going light and her heart beating slightly faster, enough to cause her to almost lose her balance. If it had been any of the other so called "boyfriends" she'd had she' be out there clubbing them to death with a blunt instrument for being scum, but Tracey was the only one that she'd had a mutual break up with. The only one that deep down she still wanted to be with. They'd met on the last holiday she'd taken with everybody, a two week tour of the Orange Island region, and they immediately clicked. Chris had insisted he was gay from the moment he saw him but she'd championed his cause and eventually proved the other young man wrong as well as taking him for herself (Not to mention ritually humiliating Chris at every opportunity for even suggesting that he was gay). For those two weeks everything had been perfect. They spent every waking moment together, going to the movies, taking in the beautiful scenery that only the Orange Islands could offer and generally being young and in love. But it had to end. Karlie had to return home and Tracey had decided to tour the Orange Islands again to meet some old friends. They'd agreed it was best for both of them to put a lid on their relationship for now, at least until things became more settled in their lives. That had been five long years ago. There had been a couple of guys since then, but none of them could even hold a candle to him. Climbing down she stuffed the binoculars into her backpack before sitting down and pondering what to do now. She could always just go over and say hi but that was something a normal girl would do to her ex-boyfriend. No, she would do something daring, exciting and possibly even dangerous. Well whatever she did she wanted to get him alone, not something that was going to happen in the crowd of the main area. Snickering to herself she had a thought and began to rummage through her bag producing a foot long piece of hollow bamboo and a few other assorted items. She picked up one of them, a small toothpick with some coloured feathers attached to one end, and jabbed it into the small, sealed glass bottle she held in her other hand. After a few seconds she took it out, making sure that it had soaked in some of the bottles contents. She smiled evilly and pushed the makeshift dart into one end of the bamboo pipe. Reaching into her bag once more she removed two items, some very dark lipstick she'd picked up somewhere and a bandana. Applying the lipstick to her face like Jungle camouflage she took the bandana and tied it around her head tightly. By this point the passers by were giving her a wide berth as well as odd looks. Grabbing up her blowpipe she slinked into the undergrowth surrounding the main area and began to stalk her prey.

To Be Continued....

AN: Well, for my first piece of writing in over a year I'm quite happy with it. Anyway, part two will follow shortly (Hopefully) so please keep an eye out for it. Also please review this piece and tell me your thoughts. Thanks.


	2. Bikini's and Bathrooms

For The Love Of Art

By Chris Devlin

AN: Well here's part 2 of my fic. I've decided to give it a theme song, the first time any fic of mine has had one, and as you can see below its The Darkness: I Believe In A Thing Called Love, my favourite song right now. For those of you that ain't heard it (I'm looking at Trish plus our North American buddies here) download it, it rocks. Went even further with some things this time round. I get to have an entire cigarette (WOO!) and go on a date andMia and Gary have a chat in a bathroom. Enjoy.

Part 2 - Bikini's and Bathrooms

Theme Song: The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love

Chris sat on the wooden bench outside the police tent, waiting for Jenny to get off duty. He was a good ten minutes early and had decided to sit and think about what had happened a bit more. His "interrogation" had been replayed several hundred time in his head, each time growing more fanciful and perverted. By now it involved him shirtless, oiled, handcuffed to a chair, refusing to talk and stating that he would resist her erotic attempts to extract any information. At this point Jenny was wearing little but a black leather bikini with lots of chains attached and a rather wicked looking whip. Chris drooled slightly as he sat and mused that he should perhaps see a psychiatrist. Reaching into his pocket he grabbed his newly bought packet of "Manky" brand cigarettes and lit one up. He glanced warily about, half expecting Erin to pounce out of the bushes with a hose, especially to put it out. But she never pounced. Tapping the cigarette over the ashtray provided on top of the nearby bin, he exhaled, a cloud of white smoke flowing through his lips. He sighed happily and slouched on the bench. Jenny emerged from the tent a few moments later, dressed in her civilian clothes. She wore a pair of dark jeans, a short sleeved top with a Pokéball logo on it and a small backpack. Chris found himself slightly disappointed that she wasn't wearing the leather bikini, and decided that making that psychiatrist appointment as soon as he got home would probably be a good idea. She smiled at him and her face lit up. Chris melted inside, the bikini and his mental health temporarily forgotten in a haze of pure attraction. He'd decided that she was without a doubt THE most attractive woman he'd ever seen, not to mention went for coffee with. Hell, he didn't even like coffee but he'd tolerate it just to be with her. Standing up he offered her his arm and she took it with an even bigger smile.

"Such a gentleman." she said, her impossibly large smile seeming to get bigger. Chris blushed and sweatdropped, embarrassed. He'd not been this nervy around a girl in years, what was happening to him? He was becoming the nervous, un-confident teenager he'd been all through high-school again. Maybe it was because if he annoyed her she would decide to actually press charges on the stone incident. "So we're going for Coffee and a cigarette I believe." she said cheerily. Chris nodded and mumbled a yes at her, trying to regain some control of his nerves. As if picking up on his nervousness, Jenny rubbed his arm gently. It did the job and Chris could feel himself gaining control again.

"Yeah, so, where is the Coffee place?" he asked, feeling like normal again. Jenny kept smiling and pointed towards the central area.

"Just through there." she said, even her words radiating calmness. Chris smiled back at her before turning to finish his cigarette. He put it out in the ashtray and they began to walk together, starting their "Getting to know you" conversation. Jenny started off, her words causing Chris to do a little internal dance of joy.

"So, d'you like leather bikini's?"

Gary strode proudly away from the Battle Arena clutching his trophy. He'd been almost completely unchallenged by the trainers who'd gathered for the small tournament and would have felt completely disappointed if it hadn't been for the last battle. There he'd been pushed to his last Pokémon and had barely managed to defeat his opponent. But beat him he did and now he had another prize to place in his trophy cabinet back home in Pallet Town. He smiled to himself. All was good in the world. As he made his way back to the main area he saw Trish, Erin and Mia heading his way. Trish waved and they walked over to him.

"Wow Gary, that's a big trophy you've got there!" Mia exclaimed, her eyes wide. Gary smirked at her.

"Not really, I'm just pleased to see you." he taunted before getting a slug in the arm from Erin.

"Behave Mr Oak." she warned. Gary shot her daggers and rubbed his now sore arm. Trish sighed and rubbed her head. After Chris getting arrested and subsequently picked up by Officer Jenny, the last thing she wanted to deal with was a cat-fight between Gary and Erin. She glanced back up at them. The pair were now getting rather verbal with each other, throwing insults and jibes back and forth like some kind of weird tennis match. Coughing to clear her throat, she began to speak.

"Will you ple..." she started before Mia cut in.

"Erin, cut it out!" she yelled at her, a look of slight anger on her face. She'd positioned herself between Gary and Erin and had placed her outstretched hand, unconsciously, on Gary's chest, keeping him away from Erin. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence she looked round at Gary and the hand she'd placed on him. She yelped and pulled it away, blushing profusely. "Sorry..." she mumbled before darting away from the three of them in the direction of the nearest bathroom.

"What was that all about?" Erin asked, almost dumbstruck. Trish simply shook her head and looked after Mia who'd by now disappeared into the small building just off the path. They turned and began to follow her. Gary stood for a second, trying to get over what had just happened. When she'd touched him there was something about it that was different. He was a man of the world and had been around enough to have an idea how he felt when someone touched him. Usually he would accept such intimacy, but would never be totally comfortable with it. But when Mia had touched him just a few moments earlier, he'd felt at peace. Completely and utterly comfortable with the way she put her hand on him. He hated to admit it but it wasn't the first time she'd stood out from every other woman he knew. She wasn't like his old cheerleaders, simply trying to latch onto someone that would become famous and rich, she actually put up with his presence because she chose too. She was also the only one out of all the girls that he actively hoped to spend anytime with, so similar were they in likes, dislikes, temperament, personality, everything. He smirked as the obviousness of the truth came to him. He loved her. Him. Gary Oak, head over heels in love with someone who could be every bit as arrogant and annoying as himself. Turning round, he jogged after the others, catching up with them as they reached the bathroom. From inside came a couple of embarrassed sniffs and a muted sob. Erin and Trish began to step in when Gary stopped them.

"Let me talk to her." he said, his voice serious but compassionate. Trish glanced above the door then back to Gary.

"But this is the ladies room Gary." she pointed out. Gary just shrugged and stepped inside.

Chris stood outside the Coffee Shop doing a celebratory dance to himself as he waited for Jenny to emerge from inside. Not only had his "Coffee Date" gone extremely well he was seeing her later at the Festival's Opening Night Dance. Some kind of intimacy with her was practically assured he thought to himself and continued dancing. People were giving him weird looks when Jenny left the shop and walked over to him. He offered her his arm again and she smiled at him.

"Were you just dancing?" she asked, playfully. Chris smiled awkwardly.

"Maybe a bit." he replied as they walked down the path to the Police Tent. Jenny smiled more and pulled him closer to herself.

"Your not a stereotypical guy. I'll say that." she said as they walked. "Most of the men I meet, especially in my job, are either perfect members of society or complete scum. They either had too much wild in their life, or not enough. You're different." Chris frowned slightly, a slight smirk on his face.

"Explain?" he asked, intrigued.

"I mean you're in between. You've got enough of a bad-boy side to you without taking it too far. You know when to have fun and when to be serious. I really like that in a guy." Chris could feel his ego expanding even as she spoke. "It would be a shame if I had to press charges for the stone incident." she added thoughtfully a few seconds later, a mischievous smirk on her face. Chris blushed a bit.

"I'm really sorry about that by the way. But kinda glad it happened. It's not often I meet such intelligent and attractive women after hitting them with rocks." he replied. Jenny smiled more, the mischief on her face getting more evident.

"Really... Well how often do those few women do this?" she asked as she spun him around and kissed him. 

The bathroom was standard fare. Some cubicles, a few wash basins, one with a dripping tap,hand-driers and a vending machine that dispensed things Gary tried not to think about. He crouched down and checked to see which cubicle she was in. As his gaze swept the floor he noticed her feet, in the last cubicle against the wall. Walking over to the second last door he opened it and stepped inside, closing the door before sitting down. In the next cubicle Mia sniffed slightly, trying to control her emotions.

"Hey." he said gently. There was a muffled snigger from behind the partition and then a sigh. "You okay?" he asked.

"Fine, I guess. Just didn't expect to find the great Gary Oak sitting in a ladies bathroom having a heart to heart with the girl in the next stall." she said. Gary couldn't see her but he guessed from her voice that she was smiling again, no doubt finding his presence quite amusing. "I certainly never expected to BE that girl." Gary smiled at this. She did have a way with words.

"Yeah, well lets keep that between us and those two out there." he replied.

"Sure." Silence filled the room for a few moments, punctuated only by the dripping tap. Mia broke the silence first. "So why are you in here?" Gary smiled nervously to himself.

"I'm not sure. But I guess because of you." he replied. "You know, what I said earlier. I really was pleased to see you, I always am." he added, knowing what he was going to have to say soon.

"Oh." was all that Mia said, leaving him to fill the silence again. It was getting uncomfortable for both of them now.

"So, why are you in here Mia?" Gary finally asked. She laughed gently to herself.

"Would you believe me if I said I was just PMS-ing?" she asked, her voice sounding hopeful.

"Nope." he replied flatly. He knew that if she had been, Erin and himself would probably be sporting black eyes each.

"Worth a try." she replied.

"So.... What was it then?" Gary asked, trying not to get impatient.

"I guess.... I just got a bit of a shock. I mean I was touching you and you weren't objecting, or being arrogant about it. You just stood there, and your heart was racing so fast." she told him. Gary hadn't been aware of that at all, too absorbed by the sensation of her hand on his chest to notice. "To me it said something. Or it suggested something I had always thought would be impossible." she added. He might have missed it earlier, but his heart rate was definitely going up right now. His throat had gone dry and he swallowed to try and get some moisture down it.

"What's that?" he asked, his voice slightly dry and shaky.

"That we could be more... That we.. That we could be more than friends to each other." she answered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I just misread you. You've probably got a list of girls a mile long, with me right at the bottom." she added quickly, her failure already seeming inevitable to her. Silence followed, only the still dripping tap filling the void. The door of her cubicle slowly swung open to reveal Gary standing in front of her. "Oh, looks like I forgot to lock the do...." she stuttered but was cut off as Gary moved and kissed her gently. At first she couldn't seem to register what was happening. Gary was kissing HER. After a second of bewilderment she kissed him back. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just tenderly caressing each others lips, until Mia pulled away. Gary smiled at her.

"Actually you're right at the top of the list."

To be continued...

AN: Well this looks like more standard mushy romance slush from me. Which is good. Who else can tell that I'm a frustrated romantic? *sighs* Ah well, hopefully I'll get started on part 3 soon. Just as soon as i think of something to do with the plot after this. Oh and please review all. Thanks.  
Chris


	3. Gym Leaders And Girlfriends

For The Love Of Art

By Chris Devlin

AN: Well I was beginning to think I wouldn't have any more ideas for this fic (I'm getting slow and rusty as I've reached the grand old age of 21) but I've had a couple, and hopefully it'll pan out and I'll have a half-decent fic on my hands. Oh and when required I've given Officer Jenny a nickname (It would get too confusing with two Jenny's in the fic) to distinguish her from "Jenn", so try and bear that in mind, otherwise it could get confusing.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If I did I would be mega rich and doing god knows what. All non-Pokémon characters are in no way representative of their real life counterparts and as such should not be taken as an accurate portrayal of said counterparts. (I upset someone with the original version of part 2, so this is me covering my ass in case I accidentally do it again)

Part 3 - Gym Leaders and Girlfriends

Theme Song: Card Captor Sakura - Yoru No Uta (It's so sentimental and yucky :-D )

Kaz snuck through the undergrowth towards her prey. He was still unaware of her presence, but not everyone else was. Over the past few minutes she'd acquired a small following of people who were watching her avidly. Eventually she got as close to Tracey as she dared to, separated by only one small shrub and a couple of feet. He was standing at a booth examining some of the artwork being showcased. She turned to her audience and began to talk in a mock Australian accent.

"Right, now, what we have here is a great example of a Tracey Sketchitt in his natural environment." Kaz glanced quickly over her shoulder before turning back to her viewers. "And crikey, ain't he a beaut!" She rubbed her hands together. "Now, usually I wouldn't use one of these, but he's such a beauty that I don't wanna risk hurting him more than I have to." she said brandishing her blowpipe. "Now stand back, and whatever happens, don't panic." she quickly pounced to her feet and turned to face Tracey. Bringing the blowpipe swiftly to her lips she fired the dart at him. It whizzed past his head, narrowly missing him, and disappeared into some more undergrowth. Kaz cursed slightly, but soon brightened up when a small Togepi emerged from the bushes looking rather dazed before passing out. "Hmmm, not a complete waste of a dart then. One more I can add to my I.T.E.O* count" she mused. She glanced at the blowpipe in her hand, beginning to think that it was slightly excessive, and tossed it away, opting for the old 'Guess who?' technique instead. Pushing through the shrub she emerged into the crowd. Several people immediately gave her a wide berth, her camouflage make up making her appear fairly menacing, as she walked up behind him. Reaching him she wrapped her arms round his head and covered his eyes with her hands. Tracey froze, not quite sure what was going on. "Guess who?" Tracey paused for a minute, his mind obviously working over time.

"I know. It's my..." he began as he turned round. Her face entered his field of vision and he paused again. "Rambo." he finished, his face going purple as he struggled not to laugh. Kaz glowered at him. This was not the reception she had been expecting. Tracey grinned at her. "Oh, now don't take it badly." he said. Still she glowered. Tracey kept sniggering.

"So are you gonna stand like that all day or are you going to kiss me?" she said, fairly impatiently. Tracey smirked and leant in to kiss her. Kaz allowed herself a small smile just before their lips met. It was an understated kiss, just right for the occasion and it lasted a good ten seconds.

"How was that?" he asked as they broke off. Kaz was the one smirking now, a huge grin from ear to ear.

"It's a good start." she replied.

Chris and Officer Jenny sat together, looking out over the lake on the western side of the park, their hands entwined together. In their other hands they each held a cigarette and were enjoying themselves when Chris suddenly stiffened. Jenny looked at him, slightly bewildered. He began glancing from side to side, as if looking for something. Quickly he put out his cigarette and exhaled, before producing a packet of Extra Strong Mints from his pocket and emptying half of them into his hand

"What is it?" she asked, puzzled at his strange behaviour. He'd been about to put the mints in his mouth when he turned to look at her.

"Smoker-sense is tingling!" he simply stated and ate the mints. As if on cue Trish, Gary, Mia and Erin appeared from behind a row of trees and turned towards them. Jenny turned and looked him in the eye, an amazed smile on her face. 

"Most impressive." she said. Chris merely grinned, his mouth full of mints so strong that his eyes were beginning to water. The others had by this time spotted them and approached. The first thing that Chris noticed was Mia and Gary walking arm-in-arm together. He eyed them suspiciously.

"Ok, who are you two, and what have you done with our Mia and Gary?" he enquired... or at least he tried to, the mints in his mouth reducing him to a blubbering idiot. The four newcomers just ignored him. 

"Hey Officer." Trish greeted her in her usual friendly manner. Jenny smirked at this.

"Just call me Jenn." she smiled at the Australian.

"Well, we would but we're here with another Jenn... It'd just get confusing." Erin added.

"Ok... Well you can call me Cuffs then." she replied. Everybody just looked at her. Chris swallowed his mints, his throat burning, gasped and then turned to face her.

"Cuffs?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's what all the other Jenny's at the Academy would call me. It's because my last name is Cuffem. They thought it was cute." she replied. 

"Cool" Chris said, before realising something. "That's right! I don't think I've actually introduced everyone." he added. "Jenny, I mean Cuffs, this is Trish, Erin, Mia and Gary." Cuffs gave her hello's and shook hands with them all. Erin seemed to squeeze her hand a bit tighter than the rest, but Cuffs put that down to her getting told off a few hours earlier. "So what's going on?" Chris asked.

"We're just going to take a quick look at some of the exhibits, then we're gonna head into town and buy some stuff for that dance tonight." Mia chirruped.

"Yeah it should be great fun. Can't wait for it." Gary added. Mia glanced at him and giggled slightly while Gary went a bright shade of pink. Chris was definitely being freaked out now.

"Ok..." he said. "Well I think I might join you." he added. Turning to Cuffs he smiled at her. The Police Officer smiled back. "You want to come too?" he asked her. She smiled some more, but shook her head.

"No thanks hon. I've got some stuff to do before the dance tonight. But I'll see you there right?" she said. Chris grinned at her.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Danny munched down on his sandwich, waiting for Jenn to return from her trip to the Coffee Shop's bathroom. It had been a good three hours since they'd seen anyone else in the group and he was beginning to wonder what they were all up to. Not that it mattered, as they only had an hour before they had to meet up again. Jenn and himself had spent the afternoon admiring all the exhibits in the festival, some of which were genuinely impressive, and had bought far too many souvenirs which were now sat in three large plastic bags at his feet. He sighed, realising that Jenn would no doubt make him carry them around all day. Taking a drink from his coffee he looked up to see a familiar face enter through the door of the Coffee Shop.

"Hey! Drake, over here!" he called as the Pummelo Island Gym Leader stepped in. Drake turned to look at him, giving him a quick wave to show that he'd seen him and walked over.

"Hey man. Never expected to see you here." Drake said as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Thought you were on vacation with Jenn?" he asked. Danny nodded in confirmation. 

"Yup, I am. She's just in the bathroom. All the others are here too, but God knows where they are." he replied. Drake's ears picked up. 

"All the others?" he asked. "Does that include you know who?" he added, blushing slightly. Danny sniggered.

"Yeah, she's here too Drake." came a voice from behind him. He turned to see Jenn smiling at him. "How are you Drake?" she asked as he stood up and gave her a hug.

"Not bad. Getting by." he replied as he sat down again. Jenn moved past him to her seat and sat down. "You?" he asked

"Can't complain." she said with a smile. "So what you doing here? Does Pummelo Gym not need you right now?" she added. Drake shook his head.

"It's actually pretty quiet right now." he began "It's quite surprising as you'd expect this to be our busiest time of year, being summer and all. But the point is I managed to get a couple of days off so I thought I'd head over here for the weekend." he explained. Danny nodded in agreement.

"That's how I was able to get these two weeks off. I think it must be to do with the heat or something." Danny offered. They sat in silence for few seconds, Jenn taking a sip from her coffee. She appeared to be thinking about something.

"So what are you up to tonight Drake? Anything fun planned?" she asked, placing the Coffee cup down on the table. Drake shook his head.

"I was actually thinking about going to the movies or something, but nothing essential." he answered. Jenn smirked at him. 

"Well, I have an idea." she said. Danny glanced at her, wondering what strange plan she'd concocted in her twisted mind. "We're all going to go to the big Dance tonight."

"We are?" Danny said mere seconds before he received a quick kick in the shin.

"Yes we were." Jenn continued, acting completely oblivious to Danny's pain. "Anyway why don't you join us? I'm sure we'd all have a great time. Plus it saves you being alone all weekend." she added. Drake seemed to ponder this far a few moments.

"And she's gonna be there?" he finally asked. Jenny smiled and nodded at him. "Then I'm there."

The warm sun over Goldenrod hit Drake as he left the Coffee Shop and he smiled. It looked like he was going to have a good night. Jenny and Danny had decided to stay for another couple of Coffee's, and Jenny had taken a fancy to some of the cakes on offer. Drake stepped forward and turned to walk away when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Drake! Fancy seeing you here!" He turned round to see Karlie walking towards him, Tracey linking his arm with his. Though Drake wouldn't have known, Kaz had cleaned off the Jungle camouflage and changed back into her normal clothes, returning her to her normal bubbly self. Drake smiled at her and gave her a friendly embrace as she approached.

"How are you Kaz?" he asked. The younger girl just smiled and shrugged. Drake looked over at Tracey. "Obviously doing well. When did you two get back together?" This time Tracey grinned.

"About forty minutes ago. I didn't even know she was going to be here." he answered. 

"Me neither." Drake said. "I just ran into Jenny and Danny in there." He pointed backwards with his thumb as he spoke. As he did he caught a glimpse of his watch. "Oops. Anyway I can't stay and chat I've got some stuff to take care of." he said reaching out to shake their hands.

"Oh... Ok then." Kaz replied, slightly disappointed at the briefness of their encounter.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you at the dance later on tonight." Drake said before quickly moving off. "See you there!" he called as he vanished into the crowd. Tracey looked at Kaz, slightly bewildered.

"What was that all about? What dance?" he asked her. Kaz shrugged and opened the door to the Coffee Shop.

"Let's ask Jenny and Danny." she replied as she walked in and began to make her way towards her two friends, who were by now waving at them to join them.

Officer Jenny (AKA Cuffs) walked down Goldenrod Main Street, the bustling crowds requiring her to make some drastic manoeuvres to reach her destination. Eventually she managed to push her way through enough people to get there. She stood outside the towering mass of the Goldenrod Department Store and smirked. Normally she wouldn't even consider doing this for someone she'd just met, but there was something about him that she felt she could trust. It just seemed the right thing to do. Especially considering the conversation she'd started outside the Coffee Shop. She moved quickly inside and made her way to the proper floor. When she reached there she didn't have to look too hard to find what she came for. Flicking through the racks she found a set the perfect fit and took it to the cash desk. The cashier gave her a quick glance.

"Special someone?" she asked. Cuffs just smirked.

"Something like that." she replied. The cashier gave her a knowing smile and rung up the sale, bagging her purchase simultaneously.

"I hope he appreciates it." she said, handing the bag to her. Cuffs smirked some more.

"I'm pretty sure he will."

* ITEO: International Togepi Elimination Organisation

AN: Well so far it's getting better. Pretty pleased with this one. Gonna try and introduce a bit more plot to the next part (When I finally get round to it) and we'll see where it goes from there. Enjoy!


End file.
